Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night
by CommanderRaydorSass
Summary: Shameless Christmas grandparenting and Shandy fluff. I blame MkSC entirely for this.


**This is inspired by MkSC's Christmas Eve experience with her nephew. I wanted to do a little Christmas one-shot, but didn't have much motivation. My post-series headcanon is 120 percent based upon the gold MkSC has given us, so if by some cosmic mistake you haven't read everything she's written, stop reading this trash and get on that, because you're missing out. On that note, for the purposes of this story, Emily and her husband are living in LA, and Sharon and Andy have bought a house.**

 **Then and Now is still in the works, but the incessant "you suck" reviews I've gotten killed my motivation for it. I'm trying to get back into it for those of you who were enjoying it, whether you sacrificed a few seconds of your life to let me know you appreciated the hours of my own life I put into each chapter or not, but it's been a struggle :)**

"All right, Liza lou, I think we're all set." Sharon placed a tray with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. Liza, Emily's four-year-old daughter, had created a little nest of pillows and blankets on the couch. Emily and her husband were in San Diego that weekend for a wedding, so Sharon and Andy had grandparent duty. Liza and 13-month-old Will were both getting over colds and ear infections, so it had been a quiet day. Sharon had just put Will down for a nap, and Liza had never seen _Miracle_ _on_ _34th_ _Street_ , so Sharon thought it was a perfect time for her to see the movie. Andy was doing some last-minute shopping, and Rusty was spending the weekend with his new boyfriend's family, so it was just the two girls for the time being. Sharon plugged in the lights on the Christmas tree and the garland draped across the mantel before plopping down on the couch beside her granddaughter.

A little while into the movie, Sharon took the half-empty popcorn bowl and the mostly-empty mugs to the kitchen. When she sat back on the couch, Liza crawled into her lap and lay against her chest as she continued watching the movie. "Why Santa in jail?"

"Because someone played a really mean trick on him and got him in trouble." Sharon tried to answer the question as simply as she could, but Liza was still full of questions. "Liza, honey, just watch," Sharon patiently urged a few minutes later. "You'll see in just a little bit." Liza fell silent again, and Sharon took the opportunity to check the baby monitor on the end table beside the couch. Will was still sleeping, with his little bottom up in the air, but his breathing sounded more congested than it had that morning. He only went to daycare a couple of days a week, but between that and Liza's preschool germs, the poor kid hadn't been able to catch a break recently. It seemed like he was always either recovering from an illness or coming down with something else.

When the movie got to the scene where the judge was about to announce the fate of 'Santa,' Liza sat up a little straighter and dug her fingernails into Sharon's legs as she looked up at her with wide eyes. "Gran, is Santa gonna win?"

"I sure hope so." Sharon pressed her cheek to Liza's as they watched. She hadn't seen the movie in years, and her excitement was starting to rival that of the four-year-old in her lap. Liza jumped up and cheered when the verdict was announced, and Sharon couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of a bunch of grown ass adults losing their shit when 'Santa' won. Yeah, there were children here and there in the following scenes, but not many that she could see.

Andy walked in amid the cheering and leaned over the back of the couch to kiss Sharon. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, Santa just won his trial." Sharon eyed Andy's empty hands. "Did you find anything?"

Andy gave her a sly smile. "Maybe."

"Anything I'd be interested in?"

"That's none of your business, little lady. And don't you go snooping around, either."

Sharon tried to look appalled. "I would _never_!"

Liza finally calmed down and noticed Andy in the room. "Bapa! Santa doesn't have to go to jail!"

"All right!" Andy scooped her up and kissed her cheek. He was supposed to have been 'Papa,' but when she'd started talking, it came out 'Bapa,' so 'Bapa' he remained. Andy reached into his pocket for his handkerchief when Liza sniffled and lay on his shoulder. "Here, baby. Your nose is still yucky, isn't it?" She nodded as he helped her blow her nose.

"I think someone will have an early b-e-d-t-i-m-e tonight," Sharon murmured.

Andy grinned. "Well, in that case, I think I might need one, myself."

"Only if you're a good boy." Sharon looked at the monitor and got up when she heard Will crying. "Perfect timing. Little man's awake, and he doesn't sound too happy." When she got to her and Andy's bedroom, Will was standing up in the packnplay and reaching for her. "What's wrong with my baby boy?" His screams grew louder as she laid him on a changing mat on the floor to change his diaper. "I know, Gran's going as fast as she can."

By the time Sharon carried Will into the living room, Andy and Liza were cozy in the recliner and watching _How_ _the_ _Grinch_ _Stole_ _Christmas_. Sharon stood in the entrance to the living room for a few moments and watched them. Liza's dark brown ponytail was still messy from the short nap she'd taken after lunch, and she'd been in her pajamas all day. Andy looked like he was in heaven as Liza lay on his chest and watched the movie.

Sharon sat on the couch and settled Will in her lap. He'd usually be struggling to get down by now, but he was content to lie against her for the time being. She knew he wasn't feeling well if he wasn't trying to destroy the Christmas tree. She hated that he was feeling bad, but she couldn't help but enjoy the rare opportunity to curl up on the couch with him in her arms.

By the time the movie was over, it was time to start thinking about dinner. "We have some soup in the freezer. Why don't we just do that and make grilled cheese sandwiches?" Andy suggested.

Sharon nodded. "That sounds good. These little vultures love a grilled cheese."

After dinner, Andy bathed the kids to give Sharon a much-needed break. He'd watched them for most of the morning, but Sharon had used that time to wrap gifts. She changed into her pajamas, got a glass of wine, curled up on the couch, and found a Hallmark movie on TV. When Andy came back in with a pajama-clad grandchild in each arm, it was only a little after 7:00, but Will was whimpering and rubbing his eyes. Sharon stood up and took him from Andy. "I think he's probably ready for bed."

Andy nodded. "I'll grab his medicine and a bottle." He carried Liza into the kitchen and returned with a small bottle of amoxicillin for each of them. Liza sucked hers down when Andy held it to her mouth, but Will turned his head and tried to bat it out of Sharon's hand.

"I don't get why he doesn't like it. Ricky used to try to pretend he was sick because he _wanted_ to take it," Sharon commented.

"It's yummy, Will," Liza coaxed. "Can I take his?"

Andy chuckled. "Sorry, honey, it doesn't work that way."

Sharon finally got Will to take the medicine and offered him his bottle. He was almost asleep by the time it was empty, so she rocked him for a few minutes before putting him to bed. Andy was reading to Liza in the recliner when she came back into the living room, and she looked ready to nod off, herself. He closed the book a couple of minutes later and started toward their bedroom with Liza in his arms. Sharon patted her back and kissed her forehead. "Night-night, my darling. Don't forget to brush your teeth and go potty."

Liza rolled her eyes, looking like a clone of her mother at that age. "I _know_ , Gran."

" _Okay_ , Liza girl."

Andy quickly changed into clean boxers and a t-shirt while Liza was in their bathroom. Three other empty beds in the house, but they'd be sleeping three-deep tonight. He tucked Liza in and lay down with her until she fell asleep. She normally asked tons of questions and needed 'one more sip of water' or 'had to go potty one more time' to avoid going to sleep, but she was unconscious in just a couple of minutes.

Andy shook his head, smiling to himself when he found Sharon half-asleep on the couch. Even on calmer days, a full day with grandchildren always wore them out. He placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her. "When I said I wanted an early bedtime, I didn't mean it literally."

"Hmm...Raincheck?" Sharon murmured.

"I think I can manage." Andy sat beside her and propped his legs up on the ottoman. Sharon sipped her wine and lay on his chest as she watched the movie. Andy nodded at the TV. "These movies are too exciting and unpredictable for me. I'm on the edge of my seat, wondering if these two people who hate each other now will fall in love at the end."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "I never said they were exciting, _Andrew_ , they're just feel-good movies."

"If you say so."

When the movie was over, Sharon tilted her chin up and pecked Andy on the lips. "I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted...Ugh, we have to put that damn elf somewhere."

"Yeah, I'm tired, too." Andy got Liza's and Will's Elf on the Shelf from its hiding place in Will's diaper bag and arranged it so that it was peeking out of Liza's stocking. "Elf's done."

Sharon checked on Will when they got to the bedroom, and Andy gently adjusted Liza in their bed. She was lying sideways and taking up most of the bed. Sharon got ready for bed and climbed in beside Liza. Andy was already snoring, and she wasn't far behind him.

Miserable cries woke Sharon up around 4:30 the next morning, and she dragged herself out of bed and got Will before he could wake Liza. "What's the matter, baby boy?" Sharon pressed her cheek to the side of his head as she staggered to the living room, and she was pretty sure of what the problem was. "You're a little warm," she murmured, holding her hand to his forehead. She gave him some Tylenol and a little bit of milk before rocking him back to sleep. He woke right back up every time she tried to put him down, and a diaper change didn't help, so she finally sat in the recliner and held him so he could sleep. He'd started coughing at some point, which was a new development from the day before, so it was probably hard for him to sleep lying flat.

Sharon managed to doze off and on, and Andy came in soon after 6:00. "Here, I'll take him. Go back to bed."

"Thanks, honey." Sharon gratefully passed the baby to Andy and crawled back under the covers. She woke up a couple of hours later to Liza tapping her face. "Gran, time to get up."

Sharon yawned and forced herself to sit up. "Okay, sweetheart."

When they got to the living room, Andy was giving Will a bottle. "If you want to take him, I'll make breakfast," he offered. "Will didn't want oatmeal or fruit, but he might eat some pancakes."

"Deal." Sharon took the baby and finished giving him his bottle while Andy took Liza into the kitchen.

"Breakfast ready, Gran!" Liza called a few minutes later.

Sharon walked into the kitchen, patting Will's back as he coughed. "I may take him to the pediatrician today. He seems to be feeling worse."

"But he's taking an antibiotic, what else can they do for him?" Andy asked.

"He might've picked up something viral in the last couple of days, and an antibiotic won't help that. I don't like the way his cough sounds. It seems a little like croup."

Andy put a plate with Sharon's signature one pancake in front of her and placed another in front of Liza. "It's a Christmas tree!" She squealed. "Look, Gran, my pancake is a Christmas tree!"

"Oh, wow!" Sharon offered Will a bite of her pancake, but he pushed her hand away. "I know something's wrong when you don't want pancakes," she commented.

After breakfast, Sharon made a doctor's appointment for Will. Andy stayed home with Liza that afternoon while Sharon took him to the pediatrician. When she got home, Andy was lying on the couch, and Liza was curled up on his chest. They were both passed out. Will was ready for a nap, too, so Sharon changed him and gave him a dose of the steroid the doctor had prescribed. He didn't have croup, and he'd tested negative for the flu, RSV, and Strep Throat, so the doctor had concluded that he had a viral infection. Sharon all but collapsed into the recliner with Will in her arms, and they were both sleeping soundly within minutes.

By Christmas Eve, they had a full house. Emily and Robert arrived soon after breakfast, and Ricky and Rusty had come home the afternoon before. Sharon and Andy were cleaning and preparing food for that evening and the next day. Emily looked beat when they came inside. "I'd help you, Mom, but I'm exhausted. Will was up all night. Liza's the only one that got much sleep last night."

"Aw, he's still not feeling good?" Sharon smoothed her hand over Will's hair and kissed his forehead. "Yep, he's still warm."

Emily nodded. "The medicine has helped, but his cough gets so much worse when he's lying down. He's been pitiful."

Sharon held her hands out to Will, and he grinned as he reached for her. "I'll watch him for a little while." The deafening noise from the living room told her that Liza had found Ricky and Rusty. "You guys try to get some rest..." Sharon winced as she heard a thump from the next room and squeals from Liza. "As much rest as you can get in _this_ house, anyway." Ricky and Rusty were kind of like overgrown puppies that had no idea how big they were, and they sometimes inadvertently hurt Liza when they were just playing. It was sometimes hard to tell whether Liza was crying or squealing with laughter.

"Thanks, Mom...Shit, she's crying. _What_ did they do to her?" Emily followed Liza's cries to the living room with Sharon right behind her, and she was frustrated to find her standing in a puddle with wet leggings sticking to her legs. "Liza!" Emily exclaimed. "Why didn't you—"

"It's not her fault," Rusty quickly spoke up.

"Yeah, uh, we might've taken Hide and Scare a little too far," Ricky admitted.

Sharon rolled her eyes. Liza hadn't had a daytime accident in months, but if she remembered correctly, Rusty had been partly responsible for the last one, too.

"I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to yell. It's okay." Emily dug through her bag. They were spending the night, but besides Christmas outfits for that evening and the next day and Christmas pajamas, there wasn't much to choose from. She got one of her own t-shirts and a clean pair of Liza's panties and tossed them to Ricky. "Here you go."

Ricky looked down at the items in his hand. "What..."

"You make her pee, you make her clean." Emily knelt in front of Liza and peeled her wet clothes off of her.

"But Rusty—"

"Will take care of the floor and her clothes. My god, you can be such a child."

"Some of her clothes are in the folded laundry in our room, we'll find something for her to wear," Sharon assured Emily.

"Gran, they need a time out," Liza announced.

Sharon nodded solemnly. "As soon as they get you cleaned up, those bad boys are standing in the corner." Just about every family member had been sent to "time out" for various offenses in the last year or so.

Ricky picked Liza up and flipped her over his shoulder. "You think Gran can put me in time out?"

" _Yes_ , because she's your mommy!" Liza insisted.

Ricky shrugged. "I guess you've got me there."

That afternoon, with the house clean, Christmas cookies for Santa in the oven, and dinner preparations ready, everyone sat on the back porch. Christmas music was playing from the bluetooth speaker, and Ricky and Rusty were in the yard with Liza and Will. "Be careful and watch out for Will!" Sharon called from the porch. He had perked up a little from his medicine and was toddling around in the yard. "Make sure he doesn't put anything in his mouth."

"Thanks for the tip, Mom, but we're grown-ups," Ricky called back.

Sharon took a sip of her wine. "Could've fooled me."

Later that night, after Liza and Will were bathed and in their Christmas pjs, Andy settled them in his lap to read _The_ _Night_ _Before_ _Christmas_. Liza giggled as Andy did different voices at different parts of the story. Sharon snapped pictures of them until she cussed at her phone for giving her a 'storage full' message.

Emily lifted Liza out of Andy's lap when he was finished reading and carried her to the kitchen. They got a couple of the cookies they'd made that afternoon and put them on a plate on the counter while Robert poured a glass of milk. Sharon got Andy's phone and followed them to take pictures. Emily shifted Liza on her hip. "I don't know why I'm bothering to ask, but who are you sleeping with tonight?"

"Gran and Bapa!" Liza exclaimed without hesitation.

" _How_ did I know?"

Andy passed Will to Sharon before taking Liza from Emily. "I'll put this little ankle-biter to bed." Liza normally would've whined about going to bed at the same time as Will, but Christmas Eve was the one night of the year where bedtime wasn't a fight.

Sharon got a bottle and pacifier for Will and rocked him in the recliner. "You guys can start moving their things from the storage shed to the porch. I'll put him down," she whispered.

A little while later, Emily and Robert came back inside. Sharon had put Will in his packnplay in the guest room and was wrapping her last couple of gifts.

"Mom, we're all adults," Emily commented. "Just put our stuff in gift bags. There's no need for you to spend so much time wrapping gifts. We don't really need gifts, anyway." Sharon shook her head. Regardless of their ages, she loved watching her children unwrap gifts on Christmas morning. "I'm going to make sure Liza's asleep before we start dragging stuff in..."

"I'll check on her. I'm going to go ahead and get ready for bed, anyway." Sharon went to their room and smiled at the sight before her. Andy was snoring, and Liza was cuddled into his side with her mouth hanging open. She quickly changed into her nightgown and robe, washed her face, moisturized, and went back to the living room. "You guys are in the clear. I don't think there's any chance of Liza _or_ Andy waking up any time soon."

Sharon, Ricky, and Rusty helped Emily and Robert put together what needed to be assembled, fill Liza's and Will's stockings, and make sure everything from 'Santa' was good to go. It was almost midnight by the time they were finished and went to bed, but Sharon still had to fill stockings herself. She knew it wasn't necessary to wait for her grown-up children to go to bed to do so, but it just didn't feel right to do it while they were in the room. Filling stockings was easy compared to what her 'Santa' preparations were when Emily and Ricky were kids, so she wasn't complaining.

Sharon had just finished with Emily's stocking and had moved on to Robert's when Andy shuffled into the living room, rubbing his eyes. "You coming to bed?"

"Yeah, I'm just filling their stockings really quick."

"I'll help you." Andy got the bag designated for Rusty and took care of his stocking at the other end of the mantel, and then they met in the middle and finished Ricky's stocking together. Andy looked at the clock on the mantel, and it was almost midnight on the nose. He pulled Sharon to him and covered her lips with his. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

Sharon looked at her watch. "Oh, it is Christmas now, isn't it? Merry Christmas, darling." She tilted her head up for another kiss, but they were interrupted by crying from Emily's and Robert's room. "I'll get Will back down and come on to bed. I want them to be able to enjoy the day with the kids tomorrow and not be tired. I'm not quite ready to go to sleep, anyway." She pecked him on the lips one more time before going to get the baby. Andy had gone back to bed when she got back, and she got one more glass of wine and a small bottle of milk for Will. His crying sounded hoarse, so she figured his throat was probably hurting. He went back to sleep pretty quickly, and she sipped her wine as she looked around the living room. The twinkling lights from the tree and the garland, the toys spread across the living room, and the overflowing stockings hanging from the mantel were a picture of Christmas if she had ever seen one. They were all going to Park City the day after Christmas to celebrate with Sharon's extended family and were staying through the new year, and she was excited about watching Liza's excitement the next morning and then going to see her family. _Merry_ _Christmas_ _to_ _all_ _and_ _to_ _all_ _a_ _good_ _night,_ indeed.

Will still sounded congested, and his cough was more pronounced after lying down for a few hours, and Sharon couldn't bring herself to put him down. He was such a sweet baby, and he'd been so good all day, despite feeling as sick as he did, and she couldn't help but coddle him a little. Recognizing the recliner as her fate for the night, Sharon moved one of the couch ottomans to the chair and propped her legs up. She managed to doze off, but by the time she was completely asleep, Will was crying. After another small bottle of milk, he was asleep again, and Sharon finally managed to doze again, herself. When she heard Will crying again, she had no idea how much time had passed, or if she had really fallen asleep yet. She'd been dreaming, but she'd also been awake enough to be aware that she was in the living room with Will in her arms at the same time. She gave him some medicine and some more milk, and when she woke up again, it was after 7:00. She felt a sudden spurt of warm wetness against her and realized that his diaper had leaked. She hadn't thought to change his diaper during the night, and the bottles of milk had probably made him wet more than usual. She was surprised Liza wasn't up yet. She usually slept until 8:00 or later, but Sharon thought she'd be excited and wake up early.

Robert came into the living room and did a double-take when he saw Sharon. "I thought you had just put him in bed with you when he wasn't in our room when I got up...You haven't been in here all night, have you?"

Sharon nodded. "I don't mind. I got a little bit of sleep, and you guys probably would've been up and down with him all night more than I was if I had left him in the packnplay."

"You could've woken us up, but we appreciate it...Do you want me to take him so you can go to bed, or do you want a cup of coffee?"

"Coffee would be great. Liza will probably be awake by the time I'd be able to fall asleep, and I don't want to miss it."

A few minutes later, Robert got a text from Andy that Liza was awake, and Emily stumbled drowsily into the living room after getting the same text, and Robert got her a mug of coffee. Will was waking up, so Robert took him from Sharon. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I'll try to get Andy to hold Liza off long enough for me to change Will and for you to get something to wear that doesn't reek of baby pee."

"Thank you." Sharon got a pair of her pajama pants and one of Andy's t-shirts from the dryer and quickly changed in the half bath off of the kitchen before going to wake up Ricky and Rusty.

"The _hell_?!" Ricky whined when Sharon flipped the light switch in the bedroom with twin beds that he and Rusty shared when he was home.

"Mo-om, it's _early_!" Rusty complained.

"Liza's awake, and you guys need to get up. Let's move."

"Ughhhh, it's _way_ too early for _let's_ _move_ ," Ricky muttered.

After a couple of hours of opening gifts, coffee, mimosas, and breakfast, the living room and the kitchen were disaster zones. It was going to be tiring cleaning all of that up later, but a delicious kind of tired. Sharon squeezed into the recliner beside Andy, mimosa in hand, and watched as Will had more fun with ripped wrapping paper and empty boxes than the toys he'd gotten. He seemed to be feeling a good bit better. Liza was a squealing picture of pure joy, going from gift to gift and not really knowing what to play with first.

Early that afternoon, Sharon lay down on the couch, hoping to finally get a nap. Andy was supposed to be putting Will down for a nap, and everyone else was outside with Liza and her new Barbie Jeep. Sharon held back a groan when she felt a tiny hand tapping her cheek. She cracked an eye open, and Will was grinning back at her with his adorable blue eyes. "You're supposed to be taking a nap, little man."

"He got a second wind when I brought him inside," Andy said apologetically from the recliner.

Sharon closed her eyes again, but Will was insistent. He screamed when Andy picked him up and tried to get him away from the couch. Sharon held her arms out and took Will from Andy. "It's okay. Want to take a nap with Gran?" He already had his pacifier, so she settled him under her blanket, between her and the back of the couch. "It's all right, baby, Gran's going to sleep, too." Will grasped her hair as Sharon hummed and patted his back, and her eyes started to close as his breathing evened out and he felt heavier against her, signaling that he was asleep.

Andy straightened the blanket over them and kissed them both on the forehead. "Merry Christmas, my darlings."


End file.
